Why The Dislike For 20W-50?

Pennzoil motor oil
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All this discussion is like the ancient Greek tale of arguing how many spirits can dance on the head of a pin.

20W-50 oil is OK in warm to hot climates and not OK in cold temperatures, in general.

If the other weights, probably the 0W-40 made by Mobil covers all the bases most adequately, along with other synthetics more or less in similar weight ranges.

20W-50 is not ideal for the most modern engines, but in warm to hot weather I bet that most can handle it or a blend including it.
 
Originally Posted By: CBODY67
When I bought my '77 Camaro 305 (new), I knew I wanted to use Castrol GTX in it. It got 20W-50 GTX. I saw no real power/response loss with the heavier oil, nor did I look for it..

In the owner's manual for my '70 Dodge Monaco, 20W-50 is listed as "32 degrees F and above", just like 30W motor oil. 20W-50 is also listed for HD/performance uses, too. In that engine (383 HP), the engine would not like getting past 4000 rpm, surging, but this stopped with Castrol GTX 20W-50..

..In more recent times, it's the base oil and additive package that tend to better define oil performance than just the viscosity rating, unlike "back then" when it was mainly viscosity rating.


Thank you for taking your time and sharing. It does bring some historical perspective into the lovely discussion we enjoy here.


Shannow, Pete,. thank you. You beat many to it. We still have many more barbers, cosmetic surgeons, plumbers, forklift operators, blue water pearl farmers to come and use their manometers and thermometers to play mechanical engineers with specialty in thermodynamics and tribology
 
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.
 
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I had a 2001 Altima with 245,000 miles and a timing chain making noise, switched to 20w-50 and quieted it right up. For a short time.
 
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


Right, unless your owners manual or vehicle manufacturer calls for 20w-50 for your usage in your climate.
 
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


How thick is your 20 grade at 40* c... ? Much thicker than the 20w50 is at operating temps..!

And your engine still runs....
 
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


Aside from the rhetoric, there's a lot of claims there that deserve a thread of their own.

Looking forward to the "facts" presented being backed up.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


Aside from the rhetoric, there's a lot of claims there that deserve a thread of their own.

Looking forward to the "facts" presented being backed up.


Indeed!
35.gif
 
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


Shouldn't this be in the joke section?
 
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


Huh?

After writing something like that is there any chance you can dig up any kind of statement from the suppliers mentioned in relation to this claim.
I'd be very interested to read what they have to say. I'm not calling you a liar nor am I calling you out. I'm just asking because I think that's a fascinating claim and if it's true many of us here may have to adjust our view a bit.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: disneyfire
20w 50 is a nasty weight oil. Nothing better with it,.
The 0w20 oils are FAR superior during not only start up but normal run.
Fluid film products LOVE the 0w20.
Period.
Miba bushings/bearings or Mahle In ALL applications desire 0w20 over 20w50 syrup. 20w50..i just can't imagine anyone really using that or even worse thinking it is a good weight....

Note...Miba and Mahle manufacture 99.99% of all bushings or bearings in the entire worlds engine manufacturers.
Bearings and Bushings are what 90% of the time..oil is in contact with.


Aside from the rhetoric, there's a lot of claims there that deserve a thread of their own.

Looking forward to the "facts" presented being backed up.


Not likely.

Blanket statements simply will not cover everything. That's a completely ignorant broad brush that simply taints the entire post, I doubt you'll see any real info from this poster at all.
 
In some countries, 20W-50 is the only viscosity grade they run, even well below freezing.

There is nothing wrong with it. It's just unnecessarily thick for most modern cars and/or most driving conditions, increasing fuel consumption and oil temperature and decreasing oil flow. Not to mention that it's too thick when the engine is cold.

It could be a good oil to control oil consumption though. It's also a good choice if you are going to drive wide-open-throttle for hundreds of miles. Just don't run it when it's too cold so that the engine can barely crank if at all.
 
I just bought 6 quarts of Valvoline 20-50 for a $1 each at AZ. I plan to run it in my older vehicles in the warmer months.
 
Originally Posted By: Plumber
I just bought 6 quarts of Valvoline 20-50 for a $1 each at AZ. I plan to run it in my older vehicles in the warmer months.


Which Valvoline line was it?
 
Originally Posted By: Cristobal
In some countries, like Brazil or in most countries in Africa, and most countries south of Texas, it is good all year long except at the high altitudes. For instance, there is no place in Brazil where it will not work fine all year long, as Brazil has no high altitude roads.


Agreed. Here we don't see temperatures below freezing often. 20w50 is cheap and available everywhere - parts store, walmart, gas station and so on.
 
Guys-
If I had an old truck with something like a slant six or 318-360 LA engine, I would run 20w-50, no issues. However, with 15w40 HDEO, I feel like in a similar price range you get a better oil with better fuel economy, so although 20w-50 would work, the question becomes why?
 
I decided to use Mobil 1 0W40 in my 32K mile 1990 Jaguar XJS V12. Up until I purchased it, it used 20W50 but since the change to 0W40, it has run smoother and quieter... So far I am very happy with the change. Oh yea, no leaks... LOL.
 
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